ASKA Lower-Limb Assistive Module

Standing up from a chair is the hardest everyday task for the knee. Frail older adults can use almost all of their knee strength just to rise, and most assistive devices that could help rely on rigid frames that signal frailty, so many people avoid them.

ASKA is a privacy-forward soft exosuit worn beneath everyday trousers. It has no rigid frame. Instead, it combines two functions in one soft structure: active muscle assist and pressure training.

Built like the muscle that lifts you up. ASKA copies the knee extensor. An assist module on each thigh acts as the quadriceps, an elastic band across the knee acts as the ligament, and a shin support acts as the bone. When the user stands, the module contracts and pulls the band, adding up to 5 kg of force at the moment knee load peaks. When sitting down, it provides up to 14 kg of braking for control.

Light effort, real strength. A pressure strap in the same module gently squeezes the upper thigh. Arterial inflow continues while venous outflow is held back, so light movement such as walking works the muscle like heavy lifting. This method, pressure training, recruits fast-twitch fibers and raises growth hormone. ASKA builds it into daily walking, so time spent being assisted also becomes time spent getting stronger.

A light harness and waist belt carry the reaction load to the shoulders and hips. Soft neoprene, a curved 3D-printed shell and a restrained navy palette let ASKA read as clothing, not equipment.

ASKA aims to help people stand up today and build stronger legs for tomorrow, with dignity.

Visuals are concept renderings based on a working prototype.